Fibrous sheet and process for making same



APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. |918.

Patented Jan.

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Winnaar; s. arenas?, or LA GRANGE, Immers,

FIBB'S SilitEltlil. AND PRCESS FOR. MAKING: SAME.

tipeeication of Letters Patent.

Patented Jari. 18, 1921,

Application filed. May 29, 1918. Serial-No., 237,134.

To all whom t may come/mt:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. MGKAY, a citizen of the United States, and, a resident of the city 'of La Grange, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois` have invented certain new and useful Improvements in F ibrous Sheets and Processes for Making Same; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has reference more particularly to a material and the process and machine for making same whereby a composition and fibrous material are combined and formed in a tough, wear and weather re-` sisting sheet suitable for use as a roof, fioor or wall covering or a lining for partitions or any similar purpose, and my invention relates to subject matter similar to that of my application tiled August 28th, 1917, Serial No. 188,581.

In the manufacture of roofing paper and similarcovering and linin material of the class to which my invention relates, it is customary to use a foundation such as a sheet or ribbonof paper, cloth, felt or similar Inaterial which is previously prepared and then treated with a tar, asphaltum or other suitable composition to render it weather-proof and impervious to moisture, and in some cases it is alsocoated and finished either during the process of manufacture or after itis laid ready for use, with a quantity of sand, gravel, mica, talc, crushed slate or other suitable material to provide a wearing surface for the finished product. So far as I am aware, however, the body or foundation for all such forms of roofing and similar products, and that which gives it its tensile strength is the paper, cloth or felt, and the coating o'r other surfacing material therefor is provided to render it impervious to moisture and capable of withstandin the wear to which it is subjected. In my invention, however, no such paper, cloth or other fabric is employed', but the sheet is made entirely of a ribbon or sheet of bituminous or other composition with a -layer of criss-cross commingled strands of .fibrous material bonded toether and comb ined with the ribbon or s eet of com osition, so as to afford a tough structure w ich gives to the finished 'product a high degree of tensile strength and impenetrability and obviates the necessity of using a paper', cloth, felt or other materiai as a foundation or body and results in a sheet of superior uality which is more economical to manu acture than those previously provided.

Moreover, in those cases wherein fibrous material has been employed, heretofore, it has been the practice to first treat and reduce the fibrous material to a pulp,`after which it is used in making the paper. Such treat ment, however, causes the fibrous material to lose its resistive properties and its. capability of being combined in a tough struc-l ture, and while this loss was not material in the' former manner of using the fibrous material owing to lthe fact that a founda- .tion of paper, cloth or other material was it has in its natural state, great water resisting properties as well as a natural ability to resist action of the elements, and if com bined in suitable. lengths in a criss cross commingled manner and suitably bonded affords a very tough structure,

Itis an object therefore of my invention to use straw or other similar fibrous material. in substantially its natural state and by the use thereof to make a wear and Weather re1 sisting sheet material, without the` -necessity of using a paper, felt or fabric as a foundaa tion.

It is a further object of mv invention to form a sheet of a plastic composition with one or more layers of criss cross commingled strands of straw lor other similar fibrous material, suitably bonded and combined with the sheet of plastic composition to toughen and aii'ord tensile strength and impenetrability to the finished product and render it less susceptible tg Wear and the action of the elements. t

It is a further object of my invention to provide a machine for making a ribbon or sheet of plastic material and combining one or more layers of criss cross, commingled strands of fibrous material therewith and thereafter applying a covering or surfacing material thereto so as to provide a finished product without the use ofpaper, fabric or felt as a foundation, and which is as strong and durable as similar sheets heretofore made in which a foundation of paper, fabric or felt was required.

My invention also has other important objects which will appear from the following specification and the accompany drawings, in which I have illustrated and described my invention in a preferred form.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side View of mechanism for making my improved brous sheet material. j

Fig. 2 is a, fragmentary plan view of a sheet of the material with different layers thereof broken away to show the successive steps in the process of manufacture, and also shows portions of the mechanism for effecting such manufacture.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. l is an enlarged sectional view showing an initial step in the process of manu? facture.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top View of the ribbon of composition with the fibrous material thereon.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the finished product. v

As shown on the drawings:

In making my improved fibroussheet material, a pliable ribbon or sheet of composition is first made, to which the fibrous material is subsequently applied, and in the structure shown there is an endless belt 1, of canvas or other suitable material and of a width somewhat greater than the strip or ribbon of composition to be made, which belt is mounted on the drums 2, suitably spaced and journaled in the standards 3. These drums, together with the drums and rollers hereinafter referred to are operated at a suitable speed to provide and feed the strip of `material continuously to and through the various'mechanisms of the device, the belt 1, being adapted to have the material deposited thereon in a fluent condition and spread evenly across the surface thereof, to form a ribbon or sheet, care being taken to maintain the belt in such condition and to avoid pressing the material down onto the belt, so that it will not adhere thereto and may readily be fed therefrom to other parts of the device which apply the fibrous material and finish the product- For thoroughly saturating theA belt, previous to the deposit thereon of the material of which the ribbon is made, so thatl the material will not adhere, the upper length of the belt 1, adjacent the outer end thereof is passed over a pair of rolls Ll, and under a pair of rolls 5, which latter rolls are mounted in a tank G of water and carry the belt through the water in the tank so that it is thoroughly saturated. After passing through the tank 6, the belt l, passes under a tank or receptacle 7, containing a bitu minous or other Suitable composition ol` which the ribbon or sheet is to be made, the composition being maintained in a fluent condition and applied to the upper surface of the belt 1, by means of a suitable discharge means 8, which deposits the composition on to the upper surface of the belt; 1. After passing under the receptacle T, the belt 1, passes between and carries the composition thereon between the upper aud lower spreading rolls S) and lt), respectively the former of which is maintained at a suitable temperature and provided with adjusting means indicated at 11, so that the material deposited on the belt from the receptacle 7, is spread uniformly across the width of the belt and made into a ribbon. lt is necessary in making the ribbon to prevent the material from adhering to the belt, so that it will readily separate therefrom and for this reason the material of which the ribbon is made is flowed or distributed on the surface of the belt in such manner that t it is unnecessary to apply pressure to give it a uniform thickness, as this would tend to cause it to adhere to the belt. The roll i) therefore is arranged and adjusted not to apply a rolling pressure on the material, but to have a spreading effect. As a further means of effecting non-adherence of the ribbon to the belt .and to facilitate separation thereof, the belt 1, immediately ahead of the rolls 9 and 10, is passed over a series of rolls 12, which are mounted at the top of the rcceptacle 13, and dip into the water contained therein so as to keep the belt thoroughly saturated.

At the forward or discharge end of the conveyer belt 1, there is a roll 15, which is elevated above the surface of the upper lengt-h of the belt l, and has the ribbon 14, passed thereover so as to lift the ribbon 14A, off the conveyer belt 1, as the belt turns downwardly around the drum 2. The ribbon 14, is then passed through the mechanism comprising the rolls 16, 17 and 18. over and under which the ribbon is looped and rolled so as to work the material of the ribbon to a desired condition preparatory to having the fibrous material applied thereto, and after passing through the rolling mechanism, it is operated on by a trimming mechanism comprising a pair of upper and lower cutter wheels 19 and 20, respectively. at each side of the ribbon, which trim oll the rough edges of the ribbon and leave it of uniform width.

The ribbon is then passed under a tank 'llt liZt

bon in a tangled criss-cross fashion somec what as shown at 24. After the fibrous material has been applied the ribbon and material thereon arepassed between the rolls 25 and 26, which are'maintained ata suitable temperature so as to heat'and press or roll the straw or fibrous material down into the coating 22, so that the straw or fibrous matejrial is thoroughly matted and bonded together by and withthe coating and causedl to adhere and combine with and elnbed in the ribbon as indicated at 27, and the ribbon is then passed around the roll 26, and backward around the roll 28, so that the surface upon which the straw has been deposited faces downward] and asses over a conveyer 29, so that t e sur us straw or fibrous material'which hasvnot rmly adhered to the ribbon will be deposited in the conveyer 29,

' and is carried thereby to anotherconveyer y30, atthe side ofthe machine, which discharges into the boot 31, of the elevator 32, andv 1s elevated thereby so .that it can be again supplied to the receptacles and depos-I ited again upon the belt or ribbon 14.

The quantity of strawoor fibrous material with which the ribbon 14, is provided may be varied accordin to the quantity thereof required for the nished product. Howf ever, as the adhesive material or liquid does not readily permeate a mass of straw, it is preferable to applyonly so much straw at a time as adheresfto the layer or coating of adhesive material and if an additional quantity-of straw is desired it is applied in successive layer-ssd as to insure a thoroughly `combined-mass of straw, and such successive layers may be supplied by a series of mechanisms similar to that which I have just described. In the present illustratlon I have Ashown mechanism for providing the ribbon 14, with two layers of the matted straw or fabric, and have'shown the ribbon 14, passingfrom the roll`28, forwardly4 therefrom under a roll 33, and over a roll 34, and around another setv of rolls 35, 36 and 37 similar to the rolls 16, 17 and 18, previously .describedand which work the ribbon into vsuitable condition for further application of fibrous material. The ribbon is then passed I under a tank 38, and the receptacle 39, and

through the rolls 40 and 41, over the ccnveyer 42, around the roll 43, and the rolls 44 and 45, and around the rolls 46, 47 and 48, all of whichfare similar to the corresponding parts of the mechanism previously described and act upon the ribbon 14, in a similar manner to provide an additional layer of fibrous material thereon in corres onding steps indicated at 65, 66 and 67. he conveyer 42, similar to the conveyer 29, deposits on the conveyer 30, and carries the surplus material to the elevator 32, so that it ma be used over again.

dditional mechanism for providing other layers of fibrous material to the ribbon may be provided if desired, and after fibrous material has been supplied to the desired extent and combined 'with the ribbon 14, the surface thereof may be coated and finished in any desired manner depending upon the purpose for which the sheet is to be employed. For finishing, an adhesive material is supplied as at 68, to the upper fibrous surface of the ribbon 14, from thel receptacle 49, which is placed there'above,

'and the ribbon 14, is then passed between the rolls 7() and 71, which spread the coating evenly over the upper surface of the fibrous ribbon, after which the ribbon is passed under a receptacle 50, which deposits on the upper surface of the ribbon, a layer of coating 69, of sand, ground cork, pulverized slate or any other suitable material with which the surface of the sheet is to be rovided. Coloring matter may also be app ied to give the finished sheetin any color or design which may be desire and the ribbon 14, is then passed between the rolls 51 and 52, which combine the finishing material with or cause it to adhere securely to the ribbon.`

If the finishedproduct is to be furnished with a smooth surface and without any configuration, the ribbon may be passed directly from the rolls 51 and 52 to the trimming wheelsl 53 and 54, arranged in pairs at each side of the ribbon so as to trim off the edges thereof and furnish the sheet in any predetermined uniform width that may be desired, or if it is desired to emboss or finish the sheet with a design on the outer surface thereof, an embossing roll 55, maybe mounted adjacent the roll 52, and provided with asuitably embossed or figured surface which rolls against the outer surface ofthe ribbon 14, and impresses a design in the surface thereof such asshown ait-56, or otherwise as maybe desired;V To prevent clogging of the impression roll 55, and to insurey a perfect impression it is desirabl that the supply of surfacing material fron the receptacle 50 shall be regulated so that only suflicient.

material is deposited to firmly adhere to the ribbonand prevent a surplus thereof being l @Il carried forward loose on'the ribbon to the impression roll, or suitable devices, such for instance as rolls arranged as `the rolls 26 and 28, previously described, so as to face the ribbon downwardly, may bevprovided to lbath of .water contained in the receptacle,

and thei'excess of water which may be carried' up inthe grooves and crevices of the impression roll 55 is blown away by a blast of air. which is furnished by the pipe 57, said pipe being provided at the side thereof next the roll 55, with a narrow slit or a series of perforations extending lengthwise of the pipe which direct the air against the surface of the roll 55, asindicated in -F i l. From the roll 52, the ribbon is passed igea-ck around a roll 59, thence forwardly under the roll 60, and'over the roll 61, which roll together with thevarious rolls heretofore mentioned, are operated at a substantially similar surface speed so as to. advance all parts of the ribbon at a uniform rate, and after passing over the roll 61, the ribbon- 14 is guided by means of the support 62 to the cutters 53 and 54, which cut the ribbon into any desired widths and it is then cooled and cut in any vdesired shapes, widths or lengths.

From the foregoing, it will be noted that' I have provided a process and a machine whereby a material maybe made in sheets without the use of a separate previously `prepared paper, cloth or fabric as a foundation and using merely a ribbon of the bituminous or other composition which has one or more layers of straw or fibrous material spread thereon in a criss-cross manner and bonded together and combined therewith so as to strengthen the ribbon and render it capable of resisting wear and the action of the ele- `ments; that a wide range of fibrous substances may be used, such as shreds of vegetables or mineral products or chopped shreds of cloth, paper, rope and the like, and that the quantity of the straw or fibrous material applied to the ribbon may be varied to result in a sheet of material of various grades, for different purposes, and that the resultant sheet may be furnished in a plain 'nish or figured or embossed and colored in any de? sirable manner.

For the purpose of illustration, l have shown and described my invention in a eertain form and explained the process in connection with a certain mechanical structure, but l wish to be understood` that l am aware that various changes and modifications may be made in the product, process and mechanisms employed without departing from the hassan principles of my invention, and I therefore o not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

l. A weather proof sheet having an outer skin of plastic material, an outer skin of surfacing material and an impregnated and cemented layer of criss cross overlapping strands of straw, bonded together, compressed between and bonded to said outer skins so as to afford tensile strength and impenetrability to said sheet.

2. A. weatherproof sheet having an outer skin of' plastic material, an outer skin of surfacing material, and a layer of matted straw compressed between and bonded to said outer skins so as to afford tensile strength and impenetrability to said sheet.

3. A wea proof sheet having an outer l and a layer of criss cross overlaiiiping se. a' i'ibrous material bonded together, compressed between and bonded to said outer skins, said sheet being provided with an ornamental design impressed in the skin of the surfacing material and the layer of fibrous material. 4C. The process of making a weather proof sheet which consists in spreading a mass of plastic material so as to form a pliable ribon, then applying a bonding material to the surface thereof, then depositing a layer of fibrous strands in criss-cross tangled relation loosely on the surface of the pliable ribbon, then heating and pressing the fibrous material and bonding material against and into the surface of the pliable ribbon to combine the fibrous material and bonding material therewith so as to afford tensile strength and impenetrability to the pliable ribbon, and then depositing a coating and surfacing material on the layer of i'ibrous material.

5. The process of making a wear and weather resisting sheeting which consists in forming a pliable ribbon from a mass of plastic material, then applying a bonding material to the surface of the ribbon. then depositing a layer of straw loosely onto the bonding material, then applying heat and i coated on both sides with a: water-proof `Inescribed my name in the presence of two subterial h f h Q scribng witnesses.

8. weet er proo s eet conslsting o a. layer of straw coated with water-proof ma.- WILLIAM F MCKAY 5 terial which is bonded to the layer of straw Witnesses: by heat and pressure. FRANK A. BREMER, Jr.,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub FRED E. PAESLER. 

